In January 2012, it will be two years since I began going into the online meetings and chats. I have met so many people who are being helped by Dr. Low's Method, from all over the world. One of the first people I chatted with had left the United States at age 15 to see her dying mother in Saudi Arabia-and is still there at the age of 45. She found Recovery International by simply entering "mental health" into her computer. We chatted for about an hour, and after that she said, "Florence, you have given me hope." When people tell you that they have gone from helpnessness to hopelessness, there is no feeling quite like it. (Even though you know that you were not the source of that hope.)
I know how I felt when I discovered I didn't have to be fearful, or anxious, or any other of a number of garden-variety symptoms. My fearful temper was so ingrained in me for so long, it took me quite awhile to believe I could change. When I found Recovery, we were not allowed to have tool lists. Our leader told us if we picked up one tool a week and continued to practice it, we would have 52 memorized in a year. I wonder what he would think, looking at our Tool Lists today, where there are more than 30 listed, which we are encouraged to use immediately. Those 30 tools are just a fraction of the entire list, but contain the most helpful to newcomers.
Part of my fearful temper was lowered feelings, especially in the morning before getting out of bed. The tools that helped me at that time were "Change your thoughts from insecure to secure." In other words, tell yourself that, yes, you can get out of bed. Then, move your muscles-put your feet on the floor, walk to the shower, put on a pot of coffee-all part acts-and endorse yourself for each thing you attempt to do. Self-endorsement is a very important part of the program. If we don't tell ourselves we did a good job, no one else will do it for us. It's like working without a paycheck.
In these two years, I have met some wonderful people online. You help each other so much, you become a friend very quickly. In fact, I feel closer to many of my online friends than I do some of my face-to-face friends.
